Six new Bureau of Meteorology staff will be deployed to Townsville, where the Australian Climate Service (ACS) is being based.
Announcing the ACS’s home, Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley said the new staff (supported by the BOM’s Brisbane office) will provide 24/7 on-ground support to Emergency Management Australia, local disaster management groups, and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services during times of emergency.
“Before and after emergencies, the new staff will assist the National Recovery and Resilience Agency to build local preparedness and recovery capacity,” Minister Ley said.
The new service brings together experts from Australia’s leading science and data agencies, including the BOM, CSIRO, Geoscience Australia and the Australian Bureau of Statistics to help communities better prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters and to help them adapt and plan for changing climates.
The ACS will begin operations on 1 July, with further work to establish a presence in Townsville taking place over the coming months.
For more details visit the Australian Climate Service website.